


Masquerade

by BrennaCeDria



Series: The Hero, The Champion, The Revolutionary [23]
Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Party, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Drabble, F/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-20
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-19 03:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/568803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrennaCeDria/pseuds/BrennaCeDria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written from the following prompt: "Imagine your OTP dancing together at a masquerade ball. They can both recognize each other, but it's exciting nonetheless." As always, I'm playing in Bioware's sandbox!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masquerade

 

There were very complex rules that applied when throwing a proper Orlesian-style ball. Had Elissa been aware of this—most of her education in Orlesian custom came in the practice yard from her sword master, not from her tutors—she may have refused Valena's insistence at throwing such an extravagant party for her birthday. But her maid had presented enough mostly-logical arguments, specifically that Elissa had been queen four years now without a proper royal celebration and that the Blight itself had been over for almost five years and the country had recovered enough for her to splurge, and the like that Elissa finally agreed to let her prepare a proper event. And so the Queen's Masquerade had been announced at the Satinalia feast, to take place over the Wintersend holiday three months later, and the city bustled like Elissa had never before seen.

The first rule was that everyone had to be in costume. For the servants and other staff, this was standardized into a specific uniform, each topped with a model mask designed to look like a stylized mabari, to represent the Theirin royal crest. For the guests, the costumes were to be elaborate formalwear topped with masks of varying complexity, depending on the tastes of the wearer.

Merely coordinating the colors or other design elements of a gown and mask were far from sufficient, however; an elaborate theme was expected of each participant. This was where Valena's second rule came into play: the masks were used for a reason, and until it was officially announced otherwise, all guests must remain anonymous. As such, the entire guest list was immediately forbidden from theming their costumes around their own family's crests. No Theirin (of which there was only the one to begin with) could come as a mabari, were Nathaniel to actually accept her invitation he would not be permitted to dress as a bear, and so forth. This didn't directly impact many of the families, though it did ruin Elissa's initial plan to use the Cousland laurel motif to have a gown created around the image of the Lady of the Forest she'd helped so many years before.

The final rule—well, the final rule that Elissa cared at all to follow—was that in keeping with the required anonymity, each guest had to have an appropriate alias. This name, and title if given, would be used to announce each person as they arrived, and would be used in all interactions until everyone's masks were removed. There was apparently an added twist, however: should anyone be able to correctly identify the guest of honor, in this case Elissa, immediately before the masks were removed then that person would receive a special gift that Valena had prepared in advance.

So when Lady Marguerite of Val Chevin was announced, her entry caused a more than a few of the gathered nobles to take note; no more or less, however, than any other dark-haired woman received that night as they searched for the queen. And as they searched, Elissa floated from one dance partner to the next on the sea of midnight blue velvet she wore, covered bodice to hem in glittering gems that mirrored the moonless sky outside the palace.

Her mask was one of the more exquisite in attendance, and she worried at first that it might give her away; the most delicate silverite inlaid with onyx and sapphires and hiding all but her lips and chin from view. She was able to throw off suspicion when anyone tried to make conversation, though, apologizing profusely in her heavily-accented version of the common tongue that she did not know enough of their language to engage them as she should. This led to more than a few invitations to private lessons, of course; these she either declined, or pretended not to understand the offer as she made her way to the next noble in her dance.

Elissa couldn't help but to smile, however, when she felt the soft touch at her waist behind her. Extending her arms so her partner could take her hands, her smile widened as he did so and began to lead her through the steps of their dance.

"You're cheating, you know," Alistair murmured into her ear.

"I am afraid I do not know to what you are referring, messere."

She could sense his smirk. "Of course not, my lady."

They danced the next two songs together before he spoke again. "Do you think anyone's managed to find the queen yet?"

"Some have, I imagine," she replied after a moment's consideration. "Messeres Cousland and Howe, certainly, would know her majesty if they saw her. Perhaps Serah Arainai as well; one can never be sure with him, however."

"Zevran's here?"

"Oui, messere."

"And what about the king?" he asked as he twirled her about to face him.

As she saw him finally, she grinned. "I think he might put more thought into his costume for the next ball," she replied as she fell back into step. "I knew him the moment I saw him."


End file.
